LITTLE TEACHERS

School children have taken the initiative to eradicate illiteracy in Delhi by 2000 AD. Osama Manzar writes about the Delhi Schools Literacy Project (DSLO)

Wow, it’s the school going children! They have taken the initiative eradicate illiteracy in Delhi by 2000 AD. More than 10,000 children from 80 private schools under the co-ordination. Delhi Schools Literacy Project (DSLP), an independent. voluntary organisation, are really working hard, amidst all obstacles which arise, in convincing and motivating an adult start learning. And the results are showing.
An old-man ii his seventies carries his two little grand children, and takes a walk across the narrow streets of a slum near Kulachi Hans Raj School (KHRS) in Ashok Vihar, to avoid disturbing his daughter-in-law, who taking lessons from her volunteer from KHRS in her jhuggi. Says Isha Goel of Holy hi School (HcTS3 in Tagore “If we have been given education, why can’t we share it?” Isha has been involved in the literacy campaign since 1988 when she was in class VI. She has so far helped five women of the Raghubir Nagar slum become literate.
‘To motivate them is a problem but once they are convinced, they convey the importance of being literate to their friends quite effectively,” observes Nidhi Wahi of the Holy Child S Puja Sharma recalls the relationship that had sprung up between her and her ‘student’ nostalgically. “I never behaved as a teacher but as a family member.” Adds Neera Kathuria of class XII, “1 learnt more from my student, Sheela, about life which is more valuable than what taught her.”
This is a point to be considered indeed. What the project does to the consciousness and personality of the younger students is startling. “It has for the first time brought them in contact with people whose lifestyles and problems are entirely different from theirs “ says Rajni Kumar, the founder and co-ordinator of the Delhi Schools Literacy Project.
“These kids may tomorrow become, teachers, doctors, engineers, or scientists but they are citizens of India and they have to face and deal with the masses,” she adds. Thus one of the strengths of this programme is the effect it has on the teenaged volunteers.
Far away from KHRS and HCS in the west, the work being done by the Mother International School (MIS) children at Auro-bindo Ashram Campus, in the heart of South Delhi, is more interesting. Under the supervision of Deepika Patel, a social worker of the school, the students have adopted Kalu Sarai, the slum in the Ashram’s backyard. Every Tuesday and Saturday, students (mostly girls, as the people in the Muslim- dominated slums prefer their women to be taught by girls) go to their respective ‘student’ in the slum. Also, in MIS, learners from Sangam Vihar near Tughiakabad come to attend literacy and post literacy classes apart from tailoring, twice a week.
It is really quite surprising that these learners in their mid-thirties begin to trickle in 10 minutes before the scheduled time, greeting their young teacher with a “Namast teacher ji”. Some begin to sharpen their pencils while others open their books and some others flock to the tailoring machines. A few of them do cluster in a corner, but their ‘gossip’ revolves only around their homework, as they share their anxieties and difficulties they had in completing the task.
Ram Kali comes to her teacher and asks how to read a lesson in her book Pehli Kitab. “Aa-ee- ii-oo,” says Shanno, Ram Kali’s teacher. Shila Devi, who even in her advanced stages of pregnancy, attends class is sitting silently in a corner trying to write. Shila has, in fad completed the first book and is doing her post-literacy class. She is yet to learn to write the words without taking a glimpse at the book, but explains, “1 just lost touch during the 15 days when classes were suspended due to plague, but will soon be able to write.”
Another Sheela — this one is bespectacled— is also from Sangam Vihar, and is busy summing up the numbers given in the form of rupees and paise. She is a new learner. What has she learnt? “I can read bus numbers,” she announces with confidence. Beside her sits Taqdire Nisha, who knows a little and is trying to teach addition and sub traction to eight-year-old Mustafa, and six-year-old Masraf, from the same ‘mohalla’. “Although I can learn all this at home, I do not have fear. Whereas, in the sc I fear my ‘little teacher’ who has expectations from me and spends her precious time for me. I therefore come to class intentionally, and find that I am able to learn quicker.”
Meena, Madina, Reena and Pramila are among those lear fling tailoring after completing the post-literacy course. Tailoring classes at MIS were borne out of a desire expressed by the learners, to learn something which would help them earn. Says Sunita, the tailoring class teacher; “Though the learners are slow in picking up, they are keen to learn.
But it is not all work and no play. The learners and volunteers manage to squeeze in a visit to some tourist spots.
Originally the project was conceived, in 1988 with 40 schools of the National Progressive Schools Conference, by Rajni Kumar who retired as Principal of Springdales school the same year. “We realised that two crore school children in this country are undoubtedly a vital force.”
The project was initially started solely as an each-one-teach-one programme. Each school in the project was supposed to adopt a slum, preferably the nearest to school. Based on the sources of the Education Ministry, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, there are 200 villages in Delhi and the minister of education, NCT Delhi, Sahib Singh Verma, is requesting every school to adopt one village each to make the latter literate in six months.
It took a lot of time to win the trust of the slum people, the exprincipal recalls. “We had to be very punctual and regular in reaching the learners, in the slums.” But she is rather apprehensive about the sustainability of the fast expanding DSLP. She says, “If the project is not going to be planned, systemised and thoroughly scrutinised, the volume of the problem will remain just as much as ever”.
To meet the objective of total literacy in the capital, DSLP has been collaborating with many agencies like Resource Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, CASP Plan, Shramik Vidyapeeth and many more.
However, convincing and motivating the learners for the literacy class is “extremely difficult.” So much so that Seema Malhotra, assistant co ordinator, DSLP says, ‘If a woman learner comes to class with oiled and combed hair, it is considered a great achievement for us.” The difficulty arises because the learners do not understand the importance of being literate. “Literacy for them has never been a matter of priority o need,” says Anubhuti of MIS.
So, irregularity and poor attendance is always a problem initially. Sometimes the learner does not turn up just because she or he does not feel like it! In some cases, the learner forgets the scheduled time of the class and is not found at home. Very often, learners plead that they cannot attend because their books have been torn off by their children at home. And, in almost all cases learners are irritatingly lazy and incapable of concentrating on books.
Yet, despite all the difficulties the teenage volunteers face in conducting the classes, they are unanimously committed to the cause. They say in one voice, “We love it, we are very satisfied with our effort because we are devoted to a noble cause.” So far none of the volunteers have back ed out and as a result 5000 learners are made literate every year by the effort of more than 400 school staff and 1000 teenage volunteers from 80 private schools in Delhi.
“However, the Delhi Administration schools have not come in with us for their own particular reasons which we do not know,” says Maihotra.
Meanwhile, the Round Table of the Indian Adult Education Association notes, that the major responsibility for eradication of illiteracy is at present with school students. To get their perpetual involvement, it is essential to give them adequate incentives. The delay in announcing such incentives would result in not achieving the target for Education for all’ by the year 2000.
Though the adult education programme is a national commitment in which all political parties, trade unions and cooperatives should actively participate but their participation is still licking.
The Round Table suggests that the entire programme of adult education should be decentralis ed and panchayats and primary schools in the villages should be given the responsibility for achieving total literacy in the village area. They should also be allocated funds for implementing the programme and should also be held responsible if the targets are not achieved. Panchayat bodies and local voluntary organisations should also be given the responsibility of conducting post- literacy programmes and mobilisation of local resources.
DSLP is also coordinating two tribal centres in the Capital. About 1200 girls mainly from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are attending the literacy and vocational classes. These centres are set up under the aegis of the Sisters of Religious Mary Immaculate. The dedicated sisters help the girls in finding jobs as house workers. The girls have to report to the centre once a week. Here they are given a chance to further their education. They are free to join the classes of their choice depending on their level of education.
The two-hour classes combined with vocational training were initiated under the National Lite racy Mission, in collaboration with SRC and Shramik Vidya peeth, a technical wing of the Human Resource Development Ministry. Along with literacy skills, an effort is made to impart social and moral values. Various talks are organised to help the girls to come to terms with city life. The girls are introduced to banking. Picnics and outings are also organised. Last year, karate was also initiated. About 30 girls have completed the specially designed capsule courses.
In order to motivate the learners, puppet shows, street plays, films and group discussions are organised. Of late, there is also an effort to involve community leaders.